Articles and Advices

Healthy Hunger Is Not That Healthy

Fasting is part of many religions

Although there is no scientific proof that fasting is a practical and safe way of slimming, many modern people consider it such. Others fast in order to detoxify themselves. Experts, however, are on the opinion that the human body has developed organs which serve that purpose, and there is no need to fast in order to detoxify.

Does Fasting Lead to Slimming?When your body is forcibly deprived of a large part of the nutrients it has been provided with so far, it will lose some of its weight. The big question is how long you will be able to maintain that weight. When we suddenly reduce the amount of food we eat substantially, our bodies switch to a “sparing mode” – metabolism, as well as all other processes in our bodies, slow down. After we are done fasting, it is very probable that our weight will get back to normal. Not only will we gain our weight back, but the same amount of food like before will cause a feeling of heaviness in stomach.When food is reduced, appetite also decreases – this is a good precondition for successful slimming. The end of fasting, however, causes an increase of appetite, and people even tend to overeat. Medical and scientific research has proven that fasting could help people reduce their weight, but keeping it at the same level after fasting is over is a completely different task.

Does Fasting Detoxify the Human Body?Some fasting supporters claim that it could purify our bodies from the accumulated poisons and harmful substances. Science, however, has still not found any proof neither that fasting detoxifies nor that our bodies need such purification. Human body is capable of excreting harmful substances by nature – this is part of its normal functioning. The main detoxifying organs are liver, skin, large intestine and kidneys.

Does Fasting Prolong Life?Scientific research on men and rodents has proven that there is a relation between calories and longevity. Other studies on obese people have proven that when they are put on a low-calorie diet, aging markers are improved. Healthy nourishment could prolong our lives by slowing down the first signs of age-related diseases. However, there is no proof that fasting and hunger affect longevity directly.